


I'm Tony and You're Bruce

by MelindaTheCavalryMay



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy days, Confessions, Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hugging, Nostalgia, Philinda48hours challenge, Rememebering Old Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-16
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 15:42:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2314811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelindaTheCavalryMay/pseuds/MelindaTheCavalryMay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Philinda 48Hours challenge on Tumblr. </p>
<p>A party,a particular cocktail and some old memories. What happens when May and Phil attend a party held by Tony Stark and end up remembering old times together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Tony and You're Bruce

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfiction. I've never written one before so pls. Forgive any mistakes. 
> 
> It wasn't supposed to be this lengthy but I didn't know where to stop. 
> 
> The prompt of the challenge was May and Phil having a cocktail. Though it doesn't totally revolve around that plot, the cocktail has an important role to play.

It had been over 2 hours since they had been here and Philip Coulson, the new Director of SHIELD was getting rather bored.

He would've avoided this situation if he had the chance but Tony and Pepper had really helped them with rebuilding SHIELD and when Hill had called him saying that Tony was organising a small party for the new Director of SHIELD and to appreciate his hard work, Phil couldn't refuse. Though he seriously thought those words were of Pepper's and not Tony's and anyways he felt his team had been working too hard and needed a small break, So why not ?

Thus here they were at the Avengers tower. The Avengers had known for sometime now that Phil was very much alive and things were finally getting back to normal (yes that's what it felt like even it was far from that) ..

He saw Fitz and Jemma chatting away with Dr.Banner definitely about something science related. It was a great opportunity for them and even the fact that they were at a party won't change them from asking him various science related doubts.

"The kids are having fun". He turned around to see Maria standing behind him. "Unlike their boss here who seems to be getting bored" she continued.

"Well, you know I'm really not much of a party guy, especially one that's being held by Tony Stark kinda scares me.

Maria giggled " I agree. You can never trust Tony, he tends to get a little wild when it comes to parties"

Phil gave her a small smile "I still don't understand how someone as calm and composed as Banner calls Tony his closest friend"

"Well that's actually a good combo ! Pepper says their friendship is like a big help for her." Maria added.

"Yeah ?" Phil asked curiously

"Tony loves to talk about his science and tech stuff, Bruce is a good listener, so that Saves Pepper who utilises the time by getting some work done"

Phil smiles realising what she said was right.

"They're somewhat like you and May" Maria added.

This made Phil curious, wondering how on earth were they similar to Bruce and Tony and the last thing he wanted was to be counted similar to Tony Stark ! Wait ? Why did his brain already think Maria would compare him with Stark and May with Bruce ?

Maria gave a laugh seeing the expression clearly on his face.

"You need to close your mouth or a fly might get inside it."

Phil laughed a bit and shut his mouth waiting for her to continue.

"Look you're like Tony ! No.. Not the egoistic and self centred part but you know similar to Tony you love to go on and on once you start talking. You need someone to listen to you blab non stop and if possible give a suggestion in case you finally stop." She gave him a smirk and continued "May plays the role of Bruce in this case, the one who patiently lets you talk as much as you want and actually listens to what you say. She always has .. Since our Academy Days"

Now Phil was curious. Not that he didn't agree with what Maria said but he just liked to talk about May. Talking about her made him feel happy especially since she wasn't around here.

"You know Phil. During are lunch breaks and hangouts in the Academy, many of us didn't even used to hear what you used to say completely. Just kept nodding our heads"

This shocked Phil and he looked slightly hurt.  
"Oh stop it! You mostly spoke about Captain America and you would even repeat some of the same stuff like a million times" .  
This made Phil giggle "Yeah I know. I used to talk a bit too much didn't I ?"

"Well I'm certain you do that now too" . She replied and continued " but May always did .."  
"Did what ?" Phil asked.  
"Listen to you. Every single time, every single story, no matter how many times you had told us she listened to them"

This made Phil give a huge grin, a very huge noticeable grin. He wasn't surprised, though all of them spent a lot of time together during the Academy, Hill,May and he spent most of their time together, and May even more that Hill.

Maria noticed Phil lost in thought and gave a small smile realising he was thinking of the Acepademy Days just like her. "So is she going to join us ?"

Phil broke from his rail of thoughts and turned to Maria to answer "she will, should've by now. " he looked a bit concerned. " Skye was a bit stubborn. Said she wouldn't go to a party held by The Tony Stark, where Thor would be as well, dressed casually and wanted May to take her to buy a new dress"

"I'm not surprised. Everyone wants to look charming in front of Thor. He's so dreamy" Hill commented.

Phil looked at her surprised "What's with all the women and Thor looking Dreamy ?"

"Well he is!" Maria gave him a smirk.

And that's when they noticed someone enter the party. Skye came in first in a black strapless dress, looking absolutely beautiful. Phil was proud of his girl. He felt that if he had a daughter, she would've been just like Skye. Warm and caring like her dad and beautiful,confident and slightly stubborn like May.

Wait! May ? Why would his daughter be a bit like May ? Nothing like 'that' existed between them right ? Why was he thinking so much about May ? Seems like he had a bit too much to drink ! But wasn't this his 2 glass at the most ? Just 3 hours without her and he was already missing her so much ! What was happening to him ?

His thoughts came to a halt, rather a sudden break when he saw May enter. He felt as if everything around him came to a standstill. May entered wearing a lovely red knee length strapless dress. It was plain and simple but she looked gorgeous in it. She felt slightly uncomfortable but didn't let it show, though for someone like Phil who had known her for so long, it was easy to guess why. Being in SHIELD for so long, she didn't take out much time to go to parties or wear such dresses. She was mostly in her work attire and if anytime free she would rather wear a black shirt and jeans.

Today it was different, she wore this dress and she looked so beautiful in it. Well she always looked beautiful but today it felt magical. Yes! That's the correct word 'Magical'

He didn't realise he had been staring at her till he heard Hill say "Phil stop it you're staring"  
"what ???" Phil asked her looking surprised and trying to get back to normal.  
"Wow! Seriously Phil ? So many years and you're still acting as if you don't know"  
Phil realised where Hill was getting to and in fact for the first time in long long time he didn't feel like not acknowledging what he was feeling.  
"You should tell her" Hill stated.

"Huh ?" Phil asked confused.

"You know that you're her Tony Stark and she's your Bruce Banner" Hill added with a smirk on her face.

This made Phil laugh and he noticed May coming towards them.

He got a bit tensed but at the same time felt so good and relaxed. It was just May wasn't it ? Why should he feel uncomfortable around her ? He realised he wasn't uncomfortable but rather nervous.

Once May was there Maria and May gave a hug and Maria spoke first to avoid May looking at Phil who once again was staring at May. She found this rather adorable. They had spent so much time together, so many years of experience, friendship, struggle and here there were together just like the academy days. She knew how these 2 friends of hers felt about each other, and they always had! They deserved some moments of happiness and to know their feelings hadn't really changed with time. To be frank Tony Stark's party wasn't the perfect moment for this but this is what their life was right ? The avengers,SHIELD was their family so it was ok.

"You look beautiful May" Maria said. "And I'll join you guys back in 10 minutes, seems Tony needs to be saved from Skye, obviously I'm rather going to go and watch and enjoy" she gave a smile and left. "Phil ! Do tell her" Maria spoke out loud and left with a huge grin on her face.

Phil and May were left there. Well they weren't clearly alone because the whole room was filled with chitter chatter but it felt like they were the only to people there. No one else mattered, atleast that's what Phil felt like.

"You're staring"

"Huh!" Phil looked confused in response to May's comment.

"Phil do you really think that you'll keep staring at me since I've entered the party and I won't even realise ?" She looked at him questioningly.

She looked happy today, that made him feel so good.

"You look beautiful" The words slipped out of Phil's mouth before he could even think whether that was what he was supposed to say.

She rolled her eyes .. She looked so beautiful when she did that! Damn Phil! Control yourself !! You're behaving so stupid, don't embarrass yourself !! Phil thought to himself

"Thank you" she replied with a small but genuine smile. "I wasn't going to wear this but Skye made me buy this one and was stubborn that she wouldn't leave the store till I did" she added.  
Phil giggled at that "the girl can get pretty stubborn at times ! But she did the right thing, you look really beautiful today May" he replied with a smile.

"So how long do we have to stay here ?" May asked changing the topic. She was getting a bit nervous too. She had feelings for Phil and him appreciating her like this and giving that school boy smirk was making it pretty hard for her to control herself from hugging him. Yes that's what she wanted to do. Definitely kiss him too but she really wanted to hug him tonight.

"You've just come here and you already want to leave ?" Phil asked curiously.

Sure he was bored before but now that May was here he looked forward to spending some time with her.

"You know I really don't like partying much" May replied.  
"Yeah!" He said slightly disappointed. "Why don't I get us something to drink ?" He asked. He knew exactly what he was going to get for her.

"Sure" she said.

"Ok wait for me here and I'll be right back" he left saying this. He wondered why was he behaving as if he was like on his first date with May. This was no way a date .. Taking May on a date to the Avengers Towers was the last thing he wanted to do! WAIT! Once again his mind started playing games ! Why was this even supposed to be a date ? It was just a casual party and he and May happened to be here. That was this was. wasn't it ?

He realised that there was no use avoiding it ! He still had feelings for May. Well he actually did since what seemed like forever. They went out together too but then Bahrain happened. Then came New York and then HYDRA. They drifted apart with time but were still together. She was his best friend. She never left his side even during the worst times, she shared his happiest moments and his saddest times with him. She was more than just a friend, much much more and he had kept it hidden for quite some time and now no more hide and seek, he was definitely going to do something about it.

When he came back with the drinks he noticed May wasn't there anymore. He was confused. No that's not right .. He was .. Disappointed ?  
'Didn't May want to spend time with him?' He looked around to see her standing in the balcony. Leaning on the railing looking at the sky. She was never much of a party person and always enjoyed solitude. And what could be a more serene moment that looking at the sky ?

He smiled to himself. He had fallen in love with May all over again and he had to realise that when in a party where the music was loud and the Avengers and his team were shouting out and enjoying ? He laughed at the thought and walked over to May.

"ahem ahem" he cleared his throat once he entered the balcony.

She jerked for a second hoping Phil wouldn't have noticed it and then said without looking at him "it's taken you this long to get me a glass of scotch ?" She asked teasing him.

This made Phil laugh. He was sure she would be surprised with his plan.

"No! But then I wasn't getting you scotch" he added with a smirk on his face.

"Here you go May, and he handed her a Cosmo"

She looked at the glass and at first frowned thinking why it wasn't scotch because she really needed one right now. Phil looked so handsome today and he was giving her that adorable smile of his every now and then that made her heart flutter. She was very good at controlling her emotions but with Phil, especially when he was being so adorable, she found it tough and needed scotch to help her with it.

Phil was surprised by her reaction and continued to look at her and then he saw her frown turn into a smile. Not a big smile like the ones she used to give before Bahrain but this was quite a wonderful smile and he knew she realised why he brought her this drink.

"You remembered" she said looking at him. Her eyes were deep. They had a slight spark of emotion. Not that there wasn't any emotion in her eyes anymore but surprise wasn't really one of them.

"Of Course" he said with full confidence and a look that said 'Obviously' and he once again gave the lopsided smile and she felt really good.

She took the glass and took a small sip and said with a slight cringe "It's too sweet"

Phil giggled and added "you know that's not the drink"

Before he could continue she said " between two friends, even water drunk is sweet enough" she said nodding her heard. "I remember .." She said with a smile. She was starting to feel a bit relaxed now,his situation seemed so similar to another one. The time when they were .. 'Happy' ???

"Yeah you do" Phil responded laughing.

Silence set in again. Both of the leaning on the railing looking at the night Sky. The world around them would be safe for a while even though they were still under HYDRA threat. SHIELD's old status was on the way of redeeming itself. There was a party going on inside. His team was enjoying and having fun after a long time, Steve Rogers was there too but nothing felt as good as spending this moment in silence with May . They both were remembering the same things and he was sure of it.

"How long has it been ?" He heard May ask him.

He glanced sideways to see she was still looking at the sky but her expression was a bit sad. It broke his heart. He was feeling sad too.

"Quite some time right ? Around 18 years ?" He said.

"Hmm .." She replied. Another pause. This was getting tougher by every second. He wanted to hug her, kiss her and tell her something totally different from what he knew she was thinking but he couldn't ! Because it wasn't true.

"We used to be so .. happy" he said really wanting to start a conversation again.

"Yeah" she replied.

May and her one word answers. Maria was right, he was the Tony Stark in this equation. He wanted more than one word answers.

She could guess he wanted to more so continued "Victoria looked wonderful that day."

"Yeah and why wouldn't she ? It was her wedding party" Phil added.

"Hmm .. All of us were there right ? You,Me,Nick,Hill,Felix,Garrett...." She trailed off.

He realised what she was feeling. Garrett had been their friend for such a long time. Hanging out with them. Though not as close as Hill and Victoria were but still he was a friend atleast that's what they had thought.

"I miss those days sometimes" She added. She now turned to look at him. He realised that the shield which she used to cover her emotions wasn't there any more. She wasn't completely the post Bahrain May here but rather an old friend, Girlfriend ? Remembering their time together.

"So do I" he replied still looking at her. They had finished their cocktails and the glasses were now kept aside. Phil could feel the air around them getting heavy and didn't know what to say, so he decided to go with the first thing that came to his mind.

"You still look as beautiful as you did that day in a similar red dress" he said, wondering why he said that.

She giggled at that. Yeah! That was what it seemed like 'a giggle'.

"Thank you" she said once again smiling. "And you brought me the same cocktail all those years back at that party and I didn't like it because it was too sweet"

"Well in my defence it was a challenge for the couples there to make a cocktail for their other halves ! You could have tried making it like Victoria made one for Anna"

"Well I would have if you hadn't boasted around confidently saying you found this task way too easy" !! She argued.

"But don't deny that you like it" he added

"Of course I liked it ! You put so much of hard work into it and I couldn't break my boyfriend's heart!!" She said with a slightly frustrated tone.

This made him silent. Yeah of course .. That's what they were then right ? They had been dating for a long time and were madly in love with each other. She didn't used to call him 'boyfriend' as much as he liked to call her his 'girlfriend' not that she was embarrassed but just that she felt she didn't need to give a term to what he meant to her but she said it right now and that didn't feel awkward. Even after so many years, after almost 10 years since they broke up, she said that and it didn't feel awkward. Because that was what their relationship still was, a bit defined and a bit undefined.

They stood their looking at each other. The moonlight slightly covering the balcony and the music that was playing inside making it all seem so real. Like they were transported back to that time when everything was great between them. There was no Bahrain, New York or HYDRA between them. Like they were not Agent May or Director Coulson anymore, they were Melinda and Phil, 2 best friends, 2 lovers who had promised themselves never to leave the others' side and even after so many years they had kept this promise. They were here together a team.

"Melinda ..." He finally broke the silence.

"Hmm ??" She asked him finding it hard to say anything. She was exactly feeling what she felt Phil was going through. Even though they were still friends, they weren't a couple anymore in the conventional way. She missed hanging out with Phil and going on dates when they came back from a tough mission, Alive! Phil always believed that a successful mission had to be celebrated so they used to go out on a date after a successful mission if they managed to be in the same city. She missed hearing him talking about Captain America or watching Alfred Hitchcock movies with him after a stressful time. She had missed this that was there between them right now. The silence that spoke volumes.

"What I used to say after you drank the sweet Cosmo. I used to make, do you remember it completely ?"

That's when she realised that what he was going to do. It made her heart skip a bit.

She nodded unable to say anything. But continued .. " you used to say; between two friends, even water drunk is sweet enough and ... "

He continued for her "in life there are milestones each rare and so sweet, sharing with a loved one like you makes them complete"

They stood there looking at each other. Rather staring at what they see in the other's eyes. Both of them drowning in emotion, memories and love. Both wondering yet knowing what to do next. If they took this next step it would be big. They weren't sure if they could handle it. They hadn't been really successful in the past. Incidents like Bahrain tore them apart but they were still together now and a much more mature and experienced version of themselves. They were somewhat naive then, couldn't handle the pressure their situations had brought on their relationship but now they had been through worse, close calls with death and in Phil's case death itself. If things got worse they would still be there for the other and taking this step now might not change everything that much after all.

Phil finally mustered up the courage and leaned in toward May. She understood that he had made his decision and so had she, they could handle this, they'd try their best this time. She tiptoed and their lips met each other. A kiss that had been long over due. All the emotion, words they couldn't express. All the pain they had been through together. All the memories that they had shared since they first met. Everything poured into one kiss.

When they pulled away Phil finally saw what he had missed the most, a smile, the huge smile she had pre Bahrain, on her face and Phil realised that this was what it was all about always. Making May smile and that is what he'd do always as long as he could. They'd still get back to fighting criminals tomorrow. They'd still have close calls with death. He might still go crazy sometime in the future. They'll still be moments when one of them had to send the other into the field hoping that they'd come back safe and mostly the person hoping would be Phil, but none of that mattered now because at the end of it all he would have May by his side, not only just as a partner and friend but as someone he loved more than anything.

"Took you long enough!!" They heard someone. They turned to see it was Tony with a glass raised in his hand. "Your kid Skye here owes me money 'cause she lost the bet on whether You'd confess today or not Coulson" the whole team Avengers and his team were staring at them with a smile !! It didn't feel weird. They were family now, and they mattered.

Phil gave a smile and wrapped his arm around May's waist.

Slow Music started playing and Phil looked at May with a huge grin.

"No" She said.

"C'mon May. We just got back together ! Wouldn't you like to dance with your 'boyfriend' ?" He stated stressing on the term boyfriend.

May rolled her eyes. She had a smirk on her face. Phil was adorable when he acted like a dork. This is what made her fall in love with him the first time and since then she had been in love with him. Always.

"Ok!" She said sighing.

Phil gave that school boy smirk and said "seems once again like the academy days"

They went to join back the others in the dance.

Swaying to the music May did what she felt like doing since a long time. She gave him a hug and rested her head on his chest. Phil held her close not wanting to ever let her go.

He bent down to her ear and whispered "by the way, you're my Bruce Banner"

She looked at him confused and said "what?"

Phil shrugged and said "Hill made me realise "I'm Tony Stark and you're Bruce Banner"

Her confused expression made him laugh "I'll explain it to you later"

And they got back to dancing again.

 

The End


End file.
